{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Hobbes vs. Boyle: Who Decides Scientific Facts?","description":" Episode Overview In the 1660s, two towering thinkers, Thomas Hobbes and Robert Boyle, clashed over a strange new machine: the air pump. What looked like a technical disagreement about air and vacuum quickly became something much larger. This episode examines how Boyle\u2019s experimental approach and Hobbes\u2019s philosophical skepticism shaped the foundations of modern science, and why their dispute still echoes today in debates over expertise, public trust, and the role of scientists in public policy. From the invention of \u201cvirtual witnessing\u201d to modern struggles with misinformation, this is a story about how facts become believable, and what happens when trust breaks down. What You\u2019ll Learn Why experiments alone do not create trust - You\u2019ll learn how Boyle\u2019s air-pump experiments required not just data, but carefully crafted descriptions and shared norms to make results credible beyond the room where they occurred. What Hobbes was really worried about - This episode explains why Hobbes objected to experimental science, not because he rejected evidence, but because he feared the political and social consequences of letting small groups \u201ccertify reality.\u201d How this 17th-century dispute explains modern science debates - From climate models to medical guidelines, you\u2019ll see how today\u2019s arguments over evidence, institutions, and public policy replay the same structural tensions Hobbes and Boyle exposed centuries ago. \ud83d\udcda Resources & Further Reading Leviathan and the Air\u2011Pump - Steven Shapin & Simon Schaffer New Experiments Physico\u2011Mechanicall, Touching the Spring of the Air - Robert Boyle Royal Society - History & motto Nullius in verba Pew Research Center - Public trust in scientists and policy debates (Nov. 2024 report) Shapin, Steven. \u201cPump and Circumstance: Robert Boyle\u2019s Literary Technology.\u201d Social Studies of Science (1984) \ud83d\udd17 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com \ud83d\udcda To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https:\/\/a.co\/d\/g3OuP9h   \ud83c\udf0d Let\u2019s Connect!Bluesky: https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/mathsciencehistory.bsky.social Instagram: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/math.science.history Facebook: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mathsciencehistory  LinkedIn: https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/math-science-history\/  Threads: https:\/\/www.threads.com\/@math.science.history  Mastodon: https:\/\/mathsciencehistory@mathstodon.xyz YouTube: Math! Science! History! - YouTube Pinterest: https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/mathsciencehistory  \ud83c\udfa7 Enjoying the Podcast? \u2615 Support the Show: Coffee!! PayPal Leave a review! It helps more people discover the show! Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs! Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform Check out our merch: https:\/\/www.mathsciencehistory.com\/the-store Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers Smooth Piano for Documentaries by Universefield from Pixabay Background Royalty Free Music - Emotional Piano by NotAIGenerated from Pixabay Ambiant Clean Piano by Alfarran Basalim from Pixabay Autumn Vibes by Clavier-Music from Pixabay Now You Are Here by Sergey Cheremisinov from Pixabay   Until next time, carpe diem!   ","author_name":"Math! Science! History!","author_url":"https:\/\/www.mathsciencehistory.com","html":"